Niyo: Wolverines walking a much-maligned line

John Niyo The Detroit News Published 3:07 p.m. UTC Sep 4, 2018 Ann Arbor — They’re taking hits from every angle now. From the left and the right. Off the edge and up the gut. From outside the program — fans and media alike — and even from within, in a manner of speaking, as a former Michigan standout quickly became Public Enemy No. 1 over the weekend. But the reality for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines is that none of this is likely to change, the blitzing linebackers or the bleeping alums — and Braylon Edwards was merely the most public and pointed of those — until Michigan shows it can handle the pressure. And quite frankly, that starts right where last season ended, with Harbaugh forced to be up front with his self-scouting and tackle some tough decisions internally, most notably with Michigan’s offensive line. When opponents sense a weakness, they’re bound to attack it, and the book on the Wolverines these days is about as open as it gets: They still can’t protect themselves. Shea Patterson and Dylan McCaffrey were pressured on nearly half of their combined 43 dropbacks in Saturday night’s 24-17 loss in South Bend, and the Wolverines averaged barely 3 yards per carry on the ground, excluding sack yardage. And while it’s easy to simply point at the tackles and call them turnstiles, that would ignore the breakdowns across the board against a stout Notre Dame defense. ‘It’s not one guy’ Even a cursory review… [Read full story]